


Alone With You

by PaintingWithWords (paint_with_words)



Series: Gift Exchange Fics [4]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Ice Skating, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pandemics, Quarantine, Quarantine 15, Rating May Change, Rollerblades & Rollerskates, Tags May Change, Viktor With A Beard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29447058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paint_with_words/pseuds/PaintingWithWords
Summary: Who would have ever thought they would end up swapping their ice skates for inline roller skates?  Then again, who would have thought that life as they’d always known it would come to a grinding halt?  Viktor had certainly never foreseen any circumstance in which the rink would be shut down indefinitely with little to no notice.  Even though he had officially retired last year—for good this time, thank you very much—he was still his husband’s coach.  And Yuuri needed his ice time.  He was an elite athlete in top form.  This was no time to everything to juststop.ORWelcome to the intersection of the world of Yuri On Ice with the COVID-19 Pandemic.  I promise, it's not anywhere as near as bad as it sounds.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: Gift Exchange Fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1256831
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13
Collections: Chihohohoko 2021: Victor’s 30th birthday exchange





	Alone With You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [smolkristen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolkristen/gifts).



> Written for the Chihohohoko 2021 Gift Exchange, in which we celebrate the anniversary of Viktor's 30th birthday. :-) This is for Smolkristen, who is a wonderful, amazing friend and a freaking Goddess Among Women.

Viktor stood in the kitchen and looked down at his old skates, marveling again at their transformation. From this angle, he could see the black polyurethane nub that served as a toe pick sticking out from underneath the boot portion of the skate. It was unsightly and would take some getting used to, but it would do. When he turned his ankle, he could see the new rail and the row of sleek black wheels that Yuuri had affixed to the stakes last night. Viktor smiled, grateful that at least one of them was mechanically inclined. If it had been up to him, he would have bought an entirely new set of skates, but Yuuri was the one who convinced him to only buy the necessary equipment.

“It always takes too long to break in new stakes,” he’d said as they sat side by side on the couch two weeks ago, his computer balanced between them. Viktor blinked at the memory. Had it really only been two weeks? It seemed like it might have only been a few days. Or it could have been months. Hell, it was hard to tell anymore. Days seemed to flow and blend together since the lockdown started.

Who would have ever thought they would end up swapping their ice skates for inline roller skates? Then again, who would have thought that life as they’d always known it would come to a grinding halt? Viktor had certainly never foreseen any circumstance in which the rink would be shut down indefinitely with little to no notice. Even though he had officially retired last year—for good this time, thank you very much—he was still his husband’s coach. And Yuuri needed his ice time. He was an elite athlete in top form. This was no time to everything to just _stop_.

Before the season had been cancelled, Yuuri had been the favorite to win gold at both Worlds and the Grand Prix again this year. But then the virus began to spread and things started to shut down. One after another, events across the world were cancelled, falling like dominoes. They had known going in that things were going to be different. The ISU had already said there would be no spectators allowed and that they would be skating in an empty arena. But even that wasn’t to be. Viktor had barely checked them into the hotel in Montreal when word spread through the skaters and coaches that the competition had been cancelled. Without warning, they were scrambling to get on the next flight back to Saint Petersburg, desperate to get home while they still had the chance.

Next to him, Yuuri cut off a small piece of banana bread. He looked up at Viktor and smiled.

“Do you want some?”

Viktor nodded and took the slice that Yuuri offered him. Yuuri cut off another piece and put the banana bread back in the refrigerator. He leaned against the counter next to Viktor and slowly nibbled on his piece, a distant and faraway look on his face.

“Nervous?” Viktor asked, even though he already knew the answer. He knew his husband’s tells.

“A little,” Yuuri replied. “Wheels are a little different than blades. They’ll take some getting used to. But I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”

Yuuri was right. They were world-class athletes, elite figure skaters. They would figure this out. How hard could roller skates be?

Viktor took Yuuri’s hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze to comfort him. The skin on the back of his hand wasn’t anywhere near as rough and dry as it had been over the past few weeks, which was good. The lotion was finally working.

Yuuri’s other hand came up to cup Viktor’s cheek, softly stroking the lengthening stubble.

“Are you going to keep this?” Yuuri asked, affectionate and gentle. 

“I haven’t decided,” Viktor said, thoughtful. “Maybe. Do you like it?” 

“Maybe,” Yuuri teased. “I haven’t decided. It’s past the point where it pokes me like a brush full of bristles when you kiss me, so I guess you can keep it if you want.”

“I’m so glad my beard meets with your approval,” Viktor countered, but it was true. If Yuuri had hated it, he would have shaved it right off and not looked back.

Yuuri planted a light kiss on his lips and took Viktor’s hands in his.

“Come on, let’s go try these out,” he said, pushing off and allowing himself to roll ever so slightly backwards. Viktor let Yuuri pull him across the kitchen. He pocketed his keys and phone and accepted the surgical mask Yuuri fished out of the box on the counter. Thank God Yuuri had kept a supply of them on hand. 

They rode the elevator down, masks securely in place before they left the apartment, just in case they ran into someone on the way out. But the hall was deserted. They rolled through the main lobby, past the mail boxes, and went out the front door without encountering another soul. 

It was odd being out of the building without Makkachin in tow. Outside of her walks, they had barely left their apartment since they’d arrived back from Canada after Worlds was cancelled. Not having her with them on her leash felt decidedly strange. But they needed this time outside in the fresh air and sunshine. They needed this exercise. Snacking due to boredom was beginning to have an effect on both of them.

Yuuri took his hand and looked at him, his eyes bright and shining behind his glasses.

“The park’s a few blocks away,” he said, tugging on Viktor’s hand. Nodding, Viktor let him lead the way.

They made their way to the park slowly, getting used to the feel of their repurposed skates, both of them laughing nervously and holding their hands out like children stepping on to the ice for the first time. 

The first big difference that Viktor noticed was the lack of grip he was used to from ice stakes. He was used to his blades cutting into the ice and giving him some control. Polyurethane wheels on concrete, however, didn’t cut into anything and the only thing that could help them was friction, of which there seemed to be precious little. This would definitely take some getting used to.

The unevenness of the ground was another challenge. He was used to flat ice with no angles or slopes. Obstacles like broken sections of pavement and cracks in the sidewalk were completely foreign to him. Even worse were the tiny little rocks they didn’t see until they hit them. Yuuri had hit one and had almost been stopped dead in his tracks. But he’d recovered quickly and brushed it off as nothing.

After what seemed like an inordinately long amount of time, they finally arrived at the park. Thankfully, no one else was there. They rolled down the sidewalk to the courtyard and its large expanse of pavement. Viktor skated in one direction while Yuuri skated in the opposite one, both of them critically examining the area and looking for anything that might make it unsuitable for practice. As it turned out, the courtyard had been well-maintained and was in excellent condition. After they had decided that this park would do, Yuuri staked away, quickly picking up speed. Viktor was content to watch him race past, his arms out and the wind blowing his hair back from his face. Yuuri’s hair was getting long and soon he was going to have to make a decision to either let it grow out or to cut it. Viktor thought he would look beautiful with longer hair, but he was also beautiful with short hair. As he watched, Yuuri began practicing his footwork, just doing a few simple crossovers, and Viktor was pleased to see that the maneuvers from ice skating translated well to roller skating. Maybe some of the jumps and spins would work well on roller skates too, but there would be time to figure that out later. For now, it was enough just to be out of the house and skating again, in one way or another. Smiling to himself, Viktor pushed off and followed after his husband, eager to explore this new aspect of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> As part of the gift exchange, Smolkristen asked for "Domestic pandemic fic- Victuuri makes the best of it by doing every stereotypical #rona thing possible x1000". I'd already had it in my head to write some pandemic ficlets that focused on the aspects of quarantine already, so when I saw this as part of her wish list, I knew _exactly_ what I was going to do. 
> 
> There are more stories to come in this collection. I'm not sure when, as last year was very trying for me in many ways, and the effects of which are still rippling through this year, and probably many more years to come. Stay safe out there everyone. Keep your distance, wear your masks, wash your hands. Take care of yourselves, okay?
> 
> Love to you all.


End file.
